A method of machining plastic soft foam blocks is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,588,086. This patent discloses a method including the steps of routing a contour recessed into one side of a plastic soft foam block, filling a cavity formed during the routing step with a granular material, preferably using the material generated by the routing process, retaining the material with a covering as the block is inverted, and routing a second contour into the opposite side of the block. While this method can be used satisfactorily for some applications, it requires filling and emptying of granular material from the cavity of each block during processing, which can be a time consuming operation and can result in a messy workstation environment. It would be desirable in the present invention to provide a solid single piece support that could be inserted and removed with minimal time and with no mess to the surrounding work area. In addition, the granular material filling the cavity of each block may not provide a solid and stable support for the block during the latter routing sequence. It would be desirable in the present invention to provide a solid and stable support surface for the block while machining the opposite side.
A method of shaping a foam article is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,941,188. This patent discloses a method including the steps of cutting a block of foam using a programmable milling machine to remove one or more portions of a first side of the foam block to the contour of the desired first surface, leaving at least one supporting portion on the first side of the foam block, removing a second side of the foam block opposite from the first side to the contour of the desired second surface, and cutting the first side of the foam block to remove the supporting portion at the level of the desired surface. While this process may be suitable for some applications, it requires additional cutting steps to remove the supporting portion on the first side of the foam block. It would be desirable in the present invention to provide a support surface that did not require additional cutting steps for removal from the foam block. In addition, the cutting process can imply a relatively planar surface on one side of the foam block for removal of the supporting portion. It would be desirable in the present invention to provide a support surface that is not limited to a planar surface configuration for the finished contour of the foam block being processed.